Lies and Weddings, by Kevin Kwan

Kwan’s most recent satire about the super-rich and their shenanigans moves from Hong Kong to Hawaii and Paris to Morocco, making pit stops in the English countryside. Its central theme is the racism that the Chinese and Hapa communities face in the US. But this is the man who wrote Crazy Rich Asians. Of course, there are OTT celebrations, social climbers, gossip and lies. Recommended by Shunali Khullar Shroff; author, novelist and podcaster

Love Jihad and Other Fictions: Simple Facts to Counter Viral Falsehoods, by Sreenivasan Jain, Mariyam Alavi and Supriya Sharma

Non-fiction to fight fiction dressed as fact. The writers help debunk polarising conspiracy theories, ones we’ve heard, ones we can’t believe anyone would fall far. In addition to Love Jihad, they tackle forced conversions, holy wars and secret funding. Who knew lies held so much sway over democracy? Recommended by Naresh Fernandes, author and Editor-in-Chief at Scroll.in

The Work of Art: How Something Comes From Nothing, by Adam Moss

How do some of the world’s best artists think, write and create art? Moss’s book turns big ideas into simple processes, working back to sketches, concepts, edits and those crushing moments when even great minds just give up and start over. Read it on a Kindle. You’ll be able to zoom in on the sketches. Recommended by Shreya Punj (@TheEditorRecommends on Instagram)

Biopeculiar: Stories of an Uncertain World, by Gigi Ganguly

A crisp collection of speculative short stories. Ganguly presents nature as a powerful force of resistance. There are clouds that whisper, starlings that transmit messages, and crows that converse intelligently. The stories mix the whimsical with the mundane, and through it all, there’s the looming reality of climate change. Recommended by author Shobhita Narayan

Margo’s Got Money Troubles, by Rufi Thorpe

Margo, 20, is struggling with adulthood, new motherhood, dwindling savings and an increasingly online world. Oh, she’s also unemployed and on the verge of being evicted. But Thorpe manages to make her story laugh-out-loud funny, insightful, thought-provoking, unpredictable and poignant, and also has readers rooting for Margo’s unconventional choices. Recommended by Shunali Khullar Shroff

Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, by Salman Rushdie

This is so much more than the tale of a novelist who was attacked by a knife-wielding fundamentalist in 2022. Rushdie’s most personal work examines the attack and the fragile journey since. It covers the ongoing threats to the writer’s life and how writing, any writing, is an act of courage. Rushdie sees language as a kind of knife, one that’s often sharper than the real thing. Recommended by Arjun Butani, Founder of Delhi-based Capital Readers’ Club and Gallery Pristine

An Uncommon Love: The Early Life of Sudha and Narayana Murthy, by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Before they became icons of business and philanthropy, Sudha Kulkarni and Narayana Murthy were just two people in love, hoping to build something bigger than themselves. She was TELCO’s first female engineer. He was serious, idealistic and brilliant. The book follows their early years as a couple, the founding of Infosys, and parenthood. Business families rarely let the world peek into their private lives, making this a rare book. Recommended by Shunali Khullar Shroff

Funny Story, By Emily Henry

Like every book she’s authored, Funny Story, too, has characters that are flawed but all heart. Daphne’s fiancé is actually in love with his childhood best friend, Petra. Where does that leave Daphne? In a new home with a roommate who just happens to be Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak. It’s complicated, but it’s hilarious. And it’s the perfect breezy read. Recommended by blogger Neelanjali Rasane, (@BooksMakeMeWhole on Instagram)

Tara’s Truce, by Kavita Kané

Within the Ramayana lie several stories of determined, exemplary supporting characters without whom the epic would be incomplete. The tale of Tara, the wise queen of Kishkindha and wife of vanara king Vali, is one of sacrifice, rivalry, love and hate. And it seems like a story of so many women we know. Recommended by blogger Vidhya Thakkar (@Reader_Viddh on Instagram)

Doppelganger: A Trip Into the Mirror World, by Naomi Klein

On one level, Naomi Klein knows why she’s often mistaken for Naomi Wolf. They’ve both written big-idea books, taken on the establishment, and are vocal in public life. But as Wolf, once a feminist icon, recasts herself as a far-right lunatic and conspiracy theorist, the mix-ups threaten Klein’s own reputation. She uses her own situation to look at modern personas and what evil twins can tell us about polarisation. Recommended by Rachel Lopez, editor, HT Brunch

Read Also: The Brunch round-up: The week and how it made us feel